Liberal arts departments are facing cuts and closures across the US, with Utah showing signs of following suit. Professors are worried about the impact on education and the value placed on humanities.
Liberal arts programs in other mostly red states have been rolled back in what some call a “playbook” — similar to what’s being forecast in Utah . The first sign that troubled David C.K. Curry was when his university stopped hiring new philosophy professors to step in as peers retired. His department whittled from five to three to two. They brought in a consulting firm to address budget deficits and suggested certain departments weren’t meeting the mark for “efficiency.
” Not enough students were picking those majors or graduating and finding jobs. If they did get jobs, they weren’t paying enough. The target metric, Curry recalled, wavered so much a marksman couldn’t hit it. were eliminated in one sweep, including philosophy, leaving him the only professor still teaching the subject — but with no formal major that students can elect. Art history was out, too; dance, theater and music performance had their curtain calls; French and Spanish terminé., as well as other four-year schools in the system — he recognizes the same signs showing up at colleges across the country. Including in Utah. Fears have spread here among faculty after a recent state audit recommended that the presidents of Utah’s eight public colleges and universities(David C.K. Curry) Pictured is David C.K. Curry, a philosophy professor at the State University of New York at Potsdam. The report said decisions should be based on the same data that his school used: program enrollment, graduation rates, students acquiring high-paying jobs or landing high-need jobs that contribute to the state’s workforce. Engineering, nursing and business were held up as the gold stars. French and art history were the “low-performing” examples. To the liberal arts professors who specialize in politics and rhetoric, what’s being said between the lines is that arts, humanities and the social sciences don’t “measure up.” At least not with metrics that value money and instant career
Liberal Arts Budget Cuts Higher Education Utah University Funding
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